Apr 8, 2015 | Ecology, Fellowships, Research
The dusky dottyback Pseudochromis fuscus changes colour to mimic its damselfish prey. This deception and camouflage is called phenotypic plasticity. It is typically executed as an almost-perfect mimicry of several model fish species rather than a perfect... 
Feb 24, 2015 | Fellowships, Global change, Research
Increased greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere is causing more carbon dioxide (CO2) to be absorbed by the oceans, producing ocean acidification. Increased CO2 would normally be expected to reduce aerobic performance of fish. Somewhat surprisingly, research... 
Feb 15, 2015 | COTS, Grants, Research
The crown-of-thorns starfish Acanthaster planci (COTS) is a native Australian species. It eats coral. Periodically its population increases to plague proportions, killing off large areas of coral that take decades to grow back. We still have a lot to learn about... 
Feb 3, 2015 | Ecology, Research
Research by Dr. Frederieke Kroon and other scientists indicates that pesticides used in sugar farming is affecting barramundi caught in river systems which run through those farming areas, and coral trout caught hundreds of kilometres from the river mouths. (Kroon et... 
Jan 23, 2015 | Biodiversity, Fellowships, Reef condition, Research
Reefs on the northern and eastern exposures received the full brunt of the cyclone-induced waves, so our objective was to document the status of reef communities in those areas and compare the results to identical surveys undertaken in 2011. See also fish diversity.... 
Jan 22, 2015 | Biodiversity, Fellowships, Reef condition, Research
As on land, the damage to the coral reefs was very patchy; some places were stripped bare while some others have remained largely intact. At each site, we surveyed two depths (8-10m and 3-5m); recording the entire fish and coral community, including species,...